Adjustable and elastic pipe-hanger.



, PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907. A. F. SGHAPER.

ADJUSTABLE AND ELASTIC PIPE HANGER.

APPIJI OATIOH FILED DEO.11. 1905.

2 SHEETSSHBBT l.

.0 CL S S M U W ATTORNEY.

No. 843,632. PATENTED FEB.12, 1907.

A. F. SGHAFER. ADJUSTABLE AND ELASTIC PIPE HANGER.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 11. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADJUSTABLE AND ELASTIC PIPE-HANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application filed December 11, 1905. Serial No. 291,340.

To (.I/ZZ/ 1071,0771, it Tmmy concern.-

Be it known that I, AUeUsT F. SOHAFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kennard, in the county of l/Vashington and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Adjustable and Elastic Pipe Hanger, of which the following is a specification.

My invention particularly relates to improvements in hangers for fastening to buildings the rain-water conductors or downspouts that carry the water from the roofgutters or eaves-spouts to the ground; and the objects of my improvement are, first, to provide an expansible, elastic, and adjustable fastener; second, to provide an ornamental and efficient fastening that will allow the full surface of the pipe and house to be painted and hold the pipes so that they will not rattle in the wind, and, third, to supply such a hanger as an article of manufacture that may be made up and carried in stock ready for use, uniform in appearance and operation, instead, as is often done, gathering up all sorts, sizes, and shapes of scraps at the shop to use for such fastenings. I'attain these objects-by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the hanger disposed on the end of a piece of corrugated pipe A. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the hanger as carried in stock ready for future use. The view is inverted from the position shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the hanger modified for hanging plain pipe.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in either View.

Each hanger is made of a single piece of wire. An intermediate portion nearer to one end is bent to form the attaching-eye 3 in a plane agreeing with the longitudinal extension of the shorter end or base portion 8. The wire at this point is bent in such a manner that the shorter portion 8 overlaps the longer portion 7 at their point of contact or divergence, where they branch apart. (See reference-numeral 1 O The extreme end of the short portion 8 is bent to form the open hook 5, lying in the same plane as the base 8, and the eye 3.

The longer portion 7 has its free end bent to form the attaching-eye 4. Then the part is centrally bent to a semicircular form to embrace the pipe, and the free end back of the eye 4 is inserted in the hook 5, the eye 4 being bent outward to bring it into the same plane as the eye 3. Through these eyes the nails or screws are driven to secure the hanger to the building. The middle of the branch 7 has a plurality of bends 7 7, &c., according to the size and style of corrugated pipe on which the hanger is to be used, or it may be left straight for plain round pipe, as shown at 9 in Fig. 3.

Near the ends of the portion 7 it is bent to form the reverse curves 2 and 2, one at each side of the pipe. These curves serve as springs, making the part that encircles the pipe elastic. They may be grasped centrally at 2 with the pliers and bent further to take up any slack or to reduce the size, or unbent to slacken the pressure or increase the size of the hanger. This may be done before the hanger is applied to the pipe or afterward in case it is desired to tighten the hanger on the pipe or to loosen it to shift the pipe endwise in the hanger.

In attaching, the hangers are placed at such points along the pipe as desired by bringing the base part 8 against the back of the pipe, as shown at 8 and A in Fig. 1, then bending the loop 7 around the pipe, and drawing the free end through the hook taut enough to draw up the ends of the base 8, as shown. This retains the hanger in position on the pipe during transportation to the building or when the pipe is raised up vertically to place.

When the attaching nails or screws are driven in through the eyes 3 and 4, drawing the base 8 against the straight surface of the building, (indicated by the broken line 6,) the reverse-curve springs 2 and 2 yield, so that the pipe is not indented or collapsed by the pressure of the hanger.

The elastic grip holds the pipe in position, allows it to expand when frozen full of water Without rupturing the hanger, and the thin wire leaves the adjacent surfaces exposed so they may be covered with paint.

As the base part 8 overlaps the part 7 where the parts branch apart at the attaching-eye 3, the strain tends to close the eye around the attaching screw or nail instead of drawing it open.

I claim- 1. An adjustable and elastic pipe-hanger consisting of a single piece of wire adapted to be bent to semicircular form to clasp the pipe, the ends bent to form attaching-eyes and an intermediate part bent to form a reverse curve to serve as a longitudinal spring in the 7 body of the clasp and adapted to be further IIO bent to shorten the clasp or partly unbent to lengthen it.

2. A pipe-hanger made of a single piece of wire and consisting of an end portion made straight to form a base adapted to be interposed between the pipe and the surface attached to, and the opposite end portion adapted to be bent to semicircular form to clasp the pipe, the terminal end of the base portion bent to form an open hook and the terminal end of the clasp portion bent to form an attaching-eye and adapted to be engaged, back of said eye, in said open hook and bent outward to bring said eye into a plane agreeing with said base, and an intermediate portion integrally connecting the base and clasp portions and bent to form an attaching-eye in a plane agreeing with said base with the connected end of the base portion overlapping the connected end of the clasp portion.

3. An adjustable and elastic pipe-hanger comprising a base and a pipe-clasp made of a single piece of Wire, said base consisting of an end portion of said wire made straight to interpose between the pipe and surface attached its termlnal end bent to form an attaching-eye and adapted to be bent to semicircular form to clasp the pipe and be engaged back of its terminal attaching-eye in the terminal open hook on said base and bent outward to bring said eye into a plane agreeing with said base, an intermediate portion of said clasp bent to form a reverse curve to act as a longitudinal spring in the body of the clasp and adapted to be further bent to tighten the clasp on the pipe or partly unbent to loosen it thereon. AUGUST F. SCHAFER. Witnesses:

CHAS. P. NELsEN, LEWIs E. WARD. 

